Andre Onana is reportedly willing to pull out of AFCON to protect his Manchester United No.1 spot after his horror show against Galatasaray.
The Cameroonian was expected to fly out of Manchester to join Rigobert Song’s troops for continental glory in January.
However, according to The Sun, the shot-stopper might ditch that plan and continue at Carrington as he fears that he might slip down the pecking order with Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayinider smacking his lips on the prospect of becoming the new No. 1 in his absence.
Onana committed a couple of howlers against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday evening that saw United surrender a two-goal lead and ultimately being held to a 3-3 draw. He was left a frustrated figure at full-time and was spotted throwing his gloves off in disgust after he once again grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Moreover, this is not the first time that his abilities have come under the scanner as he had earlier made other schoolboy errors between the sticks, including against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. After the match, Ten Hag hinted that Bayindir would get his chance soon and urged him to be patient.
“We are pleased with the goalkeeping group. They have to push each other,” the manager told reporters. “We are very pleased with Altay who is doing very well, he just has to be patient. If he works well and continues his progress, he will get his chance and will have to take it.”
Onana had hung up his boots from international football midway through the 2022 World Cup after he fell out with Cameroon manager, Song. However, the dup has since put aside their differences and Onana even played an important role in the AFCON qualifiers under the aegis of the manager. If Cameroon reaches the final of the tournament, the 27-year-old could potentially miss six matches for United.
Ten Hag will have a tough call to take if Onana continues to make more high-profile errors between the sticks. The Red Devils have now conceded 33 goals in all competitions this season after the first 20 matches which is their worst record since they shipped in 43 in the 1962-63 season. However, the keeper will be eager to prove a point to his critics when United take on Newcastle on Saturday in the Premier League.
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